


Climb into tomorrow

by wolfodder



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-04
Updated: 2016-05-04
Packaged: 2018-06-06 09:48:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6748831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfodder/pseuds/wolfodder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He's good enough at handling unexpected situations. He can handle this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Climb into tomorrow

**Author's Note:**

> Dear prompter, I hope you like this!
> 
> (Prompt #105)

The thumping bass reverberates through Junmyeon’s entire body, making him feel buzzed and a little dizzy. It’s hot inside the club, from the amount of people dancing their hearts out, pressed together in what space there is.  
  
“Hey, Baekhyun,” Junmyeon yells over the loud music. He doesn’t usually go to clubs, but tomorrow is their day off and Baekhyun decided to drag him along with himself and Jongdae for once. It was a good time, but now Junmyeon is exhausted and all he really wants is to go to bed.  
  
“Yeah?” Baekhyun yells back, hands placed on his ears to try to hear his friend better. He’s still moving to the beat of the music, and Junmyeon honestly doesn’t understand how people manage to keep this energy going for hours.  
  
“I’m heading home! Are you staying here with Jongdae?” Junmyeon gestures while speaking, just in case Baekhyun still can’t hear him.  
  
“Yeah, we’re staying! Be careful, buddy! See you at the hospital on Sunday!” The younger waves a goodbye and goes to find Jongdae as Junmyeon turns the other way, toward the exit.  
  
A wave of cool night air hits him when he exits, and his head is still spinning a little from the combination of loud music and alcohol. He didn’t drink that much, but he realizes he must at least be getting slightly tipsy. The music is still pumping behind him, though it’s muted from the door. Shaking his head so he can focus on the road in front of him, he tugs his jacket closer to his body and sets off toward his apartment. It’s a good thing it’s not a long way.  
  
The cool air sobers him up and makes him more alert, and Junmyeon smiles a little to himself while he walks. It’s quiet around him save for the occasional cars passing, a nice contrast to the intensely loud music that dulled his senses earlier. He passes a tall, slender figure leaning against the brick wall of a building, cap on his head and a cigarette tucked between two fingers, the only person he’s seen since the bouncer at the club, absently wonders what time it is since there are so few people out. As he passes the man, he flashes a friendly smile and then subtly turns his head away to avoid the smell of smoke.  
  
He hums a tune to himself, now feeling like the silence needs to be filled if only a little. The sound of steps catching up with him is the only warning he gets before a hand is clasped around his chin, and then moves up to cover his mouth. Junmyeon makes a surprised noise and starts to struggle, but stiffens completely at the feeling of something pointy pressing against his back.  
  
“Don’t move,” a voice mumbles, and the smell of cigarette smoke reaches his nose. The grip on his mouth loosens a little, and then tightens again. “Just give me your wallet.”  
  
It takes a moment for Junmyeon to process the order, stricken with fear. The pointy thing against his back, definitely a knife, makes it all too real. He’s heard of people being robbed on the street, seen movies, but he never thought it would happen to him. He could die here, if the attacker doesn’t let him go.  
  
Finally his brain processes what the robber told him to do, and his first instinct is to argue. “I only have a couple of thousand won in cash,” he says, voice muffled by the man’s hand on his mouth. The knife shifts a little, and he quickly adds, “B-but you can have it if you need to.”  
  
The movement stops, and Junmyeon reaches into his back pocket for his wallet. It doesn’t have much cash, so it’s not a huge loss, especially if not handing it over could get him stabbed. Still, it contains items of sentimental value; pictures of his family, best friends. His hand trembles a little as he holds the wallet out for the robber to take.  
  
The wallet is snatched from his hand, the pressure from the knife leaves his back. Junmyeon lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, relieved. He hears his wallet be opened, probably being checked for anything valuable. “Don’t move yet,” says the robber, hand still on Junmyeon’s mouth. Not willing to tempt fate, Junmyeon stays completely still.  
  
After what feels like an hour he is finally released, and the robber pockets Junmyeon’s wallet, quickly stepping away and breaking into a run, away from the scene. Junmyeon is left staring after him, heart thumping wildly at the thought of the sudden scare. After this, all he wants to do is go home to bed and sleep forever, but he can’t stop looking at the robber, wondering if he should go after him, get his wallet and his dignity back.  
  
The man has a limp that is slowing him down, and he finally stops at the end of the block to catch his breath, hunched over, and Junmyeon can hear him gasping, wheezing. _He doesn’t sound good at all,_ he thinks. Part of him is thinking _that serves him right for robbing me_ , but Junmyeon is a doctor and every time someone he doesn’t really like is in pain he can’t help but think _do no harm_. He has a weakness for the weak. There’s a reason he studied medicine, after all.  
  
Junmyeon steps closer. Should he check on him? On the one hand, he doesn’t deserve Junmyeon’s help after threatening his life, but on another hand he doesn’t deserve the pain he could be in simply for robbing him. A lot of people rob others because they have no other choice. Depending on what is wrong with the man, his life could be in serious danger without medical attention.  
  
In the end, it’s Junmyeon’s job to help him.  
  
He resolves this and starts to approach the other. “Are you okay?” he asks hesitantly, though the man obviously isn’t, just to see if there’s a response. He startles when the man gets to his feet, stumbling away from him. “Wait,” Junmyeon calls. “I’m just-”  
  
The man stops, leaning onto one leg, and doesn’t look his way. “Leave me alone,” he rasps. “I still have a knife that I-”  
  
His sentence dissolves into a coughing fit, and he doubles over again, clutching his stomach. Shaking his head, Junmyeon scuttles after him. Now that the situation has changed, he feels more bold, like he has more control of what to do. “You’re obviously not okay. You need medical attention,” he says. “And I happen to be a doctor. I’m not going to hurt a patient, so don’t think I’m planning to hurt you.”  
  
Heaving, the robber glances at him, and Junmyeon finally gets a better look at his face. He’s so young, he realizes, just a kid. There are scratches and bruises on his face. “No one ever wants to help purely out of the goodness of their heart,” says the boy, voice dripping with bitterness. “Everyone wants something back.”  
  
Junmyeon feels a twinge of sympathy in his chest, because this kid seems to be speaking from experience, and he knows there is truth to the other’s words. He straightens up, determined. “You’re right,” he affirms. “I’m not offering help out of the goodness of my heart. I don’t even like you. You threatened me with a knife and took my wallet. I’m offering help because it’s my job to treat patients, which you now are whether you like it or not. And all I want in return is to keep my honor as a doctor, to know that I haven’t killed someone by refusing to help. That can’t be too much to ask.”  
  
Besides, despite what the other might think, Junmyeon still thinks of himself as a good person, someone who tries to see the good in others as well. He doesn’t know much about the boy, but everyone deserves a chance, right?  
  
The boy stares in disbelief, not replying, and Junmyeon sighs. “Look, it’s not like I’m telling you to pay me for treatment. I doubt you could, anyway. Just let me have a look, okay? You can’t walk around like that.”  
  
Another cough escapes the boy’s throat, and then he seems to be considering the offer. In the end, he straightens up, tugs his cap further down on his head and looks Junmyeon square in the eye. “I don’t need help. Just _go_.”  
  
And it’s not like Junmyeon wants to force him, so he bites his lip in resignation. “Fine. Fine.” He turns, starts to walk, a headache building up. It’s not far away from his home, and at this point he’s just tired. He might as well go and get some damn rest. This patient will have to take care of himself. Junmyeon hopes he will.  
  
He’s only walked for a minute or so when he hears a cheery voice shouting “Sehun!” behind him. “There you are! Thought you’d run off on us or something.”  
  
Curious, Junmyeon stops in his tracks and looks back. Five, six other figures are approaching the boy. They don’t exactly look friendly. The boy stands stock still, head bowed. Junmyeon backs up a little and leans against the nearest building, still watching.  
  
One of them stands in front, an air of authority about him. He looks over the boy and then grins dangerously. “Well? Do you have a gift for us?”  
  
The boy reaches into his pocket, pulling out Junmyeon’s wallet. “I have- I have this,” he stammers, and now his voice is quiet, careful, like he doesn’t want to anger the leader, who takes the wallet right out of his hands without a moment’s regard.  
  
“Let’s see,” the big guy says, opening the wallet and counting the contents. “One thousand, two, three, four, five, _six_ thousand won. And some pretty pictures.” He scoffs, waving the bills in the boy’s face. “Is this all of it? The best you could do? You didn’t take anything for yourself, did you?”  
  
“N-no! I wouldn’t,” the boy replies, voice raised slightly in fear. “That was all he had, I swear.”  
  
The leader tuts. “I’m disappointed, Sehun. I thought you had guts, skill. And maybe some motivation after the last time you failed so miserably. I would suggest selling the wallet for some extra profit - for your sake, obviously - but I doubt this will earn much more than the content, if anyone would even want to buy it.”  
  
“I’m sorry, I’ll do better next time,” Sehun promises.  
  
“Oh, Sehun. I’m afraid there’s no next time for you. We’re not going to waste our time on someone who doesn’t put in effort,” says the leader, clearly unapologetic, and backs up, gesturing to his gang. “Boys.”  
  
Junmyeon’s heart hammers loudly in his chest, and he is uselessly rooted to his hiding spot as the other boys advance on Sehun. One of them kicks his leg, making him yelp and drop to the ground as he loses footing. The others start to kick him in the chest, and he just lies there, crying out in pain with every other kick. He doesn’t even try to stop them, as if he knows he’s not strong enough to stand up to the bigger guys.  
  
Maybe that’s why Junmyeon doesn’t dare to try, either. He feels horrible to see his robber being beat up, but is too much of a coward to do anything about it. Instead he stares, holding his breath and hoping they won’t go too far, hoping they won’t kick the poor boy to death. _They wouldn’t do that, right,_ he thinks. _They only steal, right? They wouldn’t kill someone for something that small._  
  
Right now he isn’t so sure.  
  
When they finally stop, the leader stands over Sehun as he pockets Junmyeon’s wallet. “Don’t come back,” he says, and the guys leave him lying on the ground, exiting the scene. The boy is covered in much more bruises than before, gasping and choking on sobs. Junmyeon waits for the others to leave before coming out from his hiding spot, taking tentative steps towards the kid. Then his speed increases until he is almost running, crouching next to Sehun once he reaches him. The kid’s eyes widen, and he tries to lift his head, like he is going to try to run away again.  
  
“No,” Junmyeon says, putting a hand on his arm. He hopes his voice isn’t visibly shaky. “Don’t try to leave. I’m not letting you refuse my help again.” Thankfully it doesn’t take much more than that for the boy to relax. “It’s Sehun, right? I’m Junmyeon. Can you stand?”  
  
The kid slowly moves into a sitting position. “I- I think so,” he replies quietly. He shifts his weight, struggling to his feet, and Junmyeon stands as well, watching him in case he falls. To his credit, he doesn’t, but he looks beat up enough that he must need support to stay on his feet.  
  
“Come on, my place isn’t far from here. I’ll take you there.” With that, Junmyeon places Sehun’s arm around his shoulders and starts to move.  
  
Sehun is quiet the entire walk and doesn’t meet Junmyeon’s eyes, gaze fixed on the ground. He looks less unfriendly now, after receiving help despite his behavior earlier, and Junmyeon wonders what he’s thinking but doesn’t want to speak. The silence is comforting, he thinks. They both need comforting right now.  
  
He exhales heavily when they finally enter his apartment. “Here we go,” he says, because he feels like he should, “welcome to my...humble abode.” It’s not a big place, kind of messy, but it works for him. He leads Sehun to the sofa and sits him down, and the kid doesn’t argue, just rubs his hands together for heat, silently waiting for what will happen next.  
  
Junmyeon fetches his first aid kit and starts cleansing the cuts on Sehun’s face. Once again they’re both silent as he works, and when Junmyeon looks at him, Sehun looks thoughtful, contemplative.  
  
"Take off your shirt, I’ll take a look at the rest of you,” Junmyeon tells him afterwards. Sehun obediently does what he’s told, wincing when a wet wad of cotton touches his bare shoulder.  
  
A few minutes later he hears quiet sniffling, and realizes that it’s coming from Sehun, who is sitting bent over with his face hidden. His movements halt, leading Sehun to quiet down and turn his head, looking at Junmyeon with teary eyes. He jerks away from Junmyeon then, quickly wiping the tears away. “Sorry,” he whispers.  
  
“It’s okay, you’re allowed to cry-” Junmyeon starts, but Sehun interrupts him.  
  
“Not for that.” He rubs a hand over his face and lets out a shaky breath. “For dragging you into my mess. And for stealing your wallet and threatening you with a knife. I just gave you trouble and you still brought me here in the middle of the night to help me. I’m so- sorry.” His voice cracks, and more tears slide down his cheeks.  
  
“Oh. Hey,” Junmyeon says, grabbing some tissues from the table and handing them to Sehun, who quickly starts to wipe the tears away once more. “It wouldn’t feel right for me to just leave you there. Don’t apologize for that. The robbery, well, yes, that I’ll let you take responsibility for. But helping you out was my own choice. You shouldn’t think about it too hard.”  
  
Sehun doesn’t reply, just hides his face in his hands, shiny eyes looking at Junmyeon. He looks almost shy. It makes Junmyeon smile. “How about you take a shower? I’ll lend you some of my clothes.” He breaks off, looking at Sehun’s long body. The kid is clearly taller than him, as Junmyeon noticed earlier when they were walking together and Sehun had to bend in order to lean on him. “Uh, if anything fits.”  
  
That brings a small laugh out of Sehun, the first time he’s smiled since they met, and he nods. Junmyeon points him to the bathroom and finds him some of his more baggy clothes.  
  
While Sehun is in the shower, Junmyeon makes his bed so the other can sleep there. He snuggles into the sofa after cleaning up the first aid kit, and thinks back on the unexpected turn his night took.  
  
It’s a lot to process. When he left tonight, all he expected was to come home drunk and tired from dancing for hours. Now some kid who robbed him of his wallet is using his shower. But he’s good enough at handling unexpected situations at the hospital. He can handle this. At least his conscience won’t suffer.  
  
Tonight’s events took a lot of energy out of him and his eyelids slide shut, head lolling to the side. He drifts off suddenly, exhaustion setting in now that he finally has a moment to himself.  
  
A poke at his shoulder brings him back, and he looks around in confusion before seeing Sehun standing next to the sofa in Junmyeon’s baggy clothes. “I wasn’t sure if I should wake you,” the kid says, still avoiding his gaze, “but um.”  
  
“You’re staying here tonight, right? I just figured that would be a good idea. You have a lot of injuries and you need rest,” Junmyeon replies, straightening and getting to his feet. “You’ll borrow my bed. I’ll show you where it is.”  
  
“Thanks,” Sehun mumbles.  
  
Sehun makes no noise after Junmyeon leaves him in his bedroom. He lies in the sofa for the longest time listening, wondering if the kid will be okay. Wondering how someone like Sehun got into this situation. Maybe he’ll ask in the morning. It could be good for Sehun to get it out, too.  
  
  
  
  
  
“Don’t bother us again.”  
  
Another door slams in Sehun’s face.  
  
He doesn’t even have the energy to feel sad. He and his parents had been struggling financially for years, and when they passed away his world came crashing down on him as he was left alone with barely anything. He even owed money to the people who lent it to him months ago, and they kindly reminded him of the fact with some well thrown punches. It didn’t take long before he was kicked out of his home, begging for _just another month to earn some money_. Not like he knew _how_ to earn those money, but he was desperate.  
  
Now he is at his mother’s sister’s door asking for a place to stay, just for a little while so he can get back on his feet. But, not unexpectedly, he’s been turned down by every relative he has tried. None of them cared when his parents died, disapproving of their jobs, their lack of money, disapproving of everything, and instead of helping they just ignored them.  
  
Sehun isn’t surprised anymore. Still, this leaves him with nowhere to go on a cold night. He tucks his jacket closer to his body and decides to wander the streets. His face is bruised, feet tired, his clothes are still humid from getting stuck in the rain hours earlier, and he sneezes, cursing his body for getting sick so easily. All he can do now is hope to find a place to sleep.  
  
He thinks he’s found it when he is walking down a quiet street a long while later, stopping in front of an empty building. The door is ajar, though, and in a mix of desperation and curiosity he quickly checks that he’s not being watched before slipping inside.  
  
It’s dark and cold, the wind blowing through the doorway and making him shiver more than he did before. He takes tentative steps further in, wondering if there is a comfortable place to lay down here.  
  
Then he hears voices, people joking, laughing, in another room. He’s not alone. Sehun stumbles over a broken toy and falls, landing loudly on the floor. In any other circumstance he would have laughed at himself. The voices go silent.  
  
_I shouldn’t have come here,_ he thinks. He should leave. But he doesn’t get that far. A door opens to reveal a tall man glaring down at him. Sehun shrinks under that glare.  
  
“Who do we have here?” the stranger asks, and Sehun notices other faces peeking through the doorway.  
  
“I didn’t mean to bother you,” he replies quickly, standing up, brushing dust off his pants. “I just- I just needed a place to sleep for the night, maybe a little longer, and I thought this place was empty. I’ll get out of your hair.”  
  
He doesn’t think he’ll find anywhere else, not with a roof, but he doesn’t want to be a bother either, so he starts to leave. The stranger, however, seems to disagree, and grabs him by the hood, dragging him back. Sehun stares.  
  
“What’s your name, kid?” the guy asks.  
  
“Sehun.”  
  
“And you don’t have anywhere else to go?”  
  
“No.”  
  
The guy smiles, dropping Sehun’s hood, and gestures to the people standing behind him. “Then you’re like us, right? Tell you what, we’ll let you stay here if you help us earn money.”  
  
“R-really?” Sehun is overwhelmed by the sudden change in mood. He doesn’t know how these people earn money, but right now he’ll do anything to get by. “That’d be great! Thank you.”  
  
“No worries, kid. We’re a family. I’m Yongguk, and you’ll get to know the rest of us. We’ll treat you well.”  
  
And they do treat him well, for a few days, letting him stay with them in the building they call home.  
  
And then he has to earn his keep.  
  
“Come on, Sehun, it’s time you prove your worth and earn the right to stay here like the rest of us,” Yongguk suddenly says, dragging him out one dark evening. He scans the surroundings for a little while, then points to an elderly woman. The woman has a bag in her hand. Yongguk offers Sehun a small knife. “Look at her. You know, old women usually carry cash. That’s what we want. If you can get that lady to give you her bag - it’s normally not very hard - we’ll let you stay.”  
  
_This isn’t what I signed up for,_ Sehun thinks frantically. But then he thinks back to when he came there, and realizes that this is exactly what he signed up for. He doesn’t want to harm an old lady, or take her money. She has done nothing wrong. “And what if I can’t do it?” he asks Yongguk, quietly.  
  
Yongguk shrugs. “Then someone else’ll do it. And you’ll have to find somewhere else to live. We can’t afford to feed people who don’t work for it.”  
  
If he had any other choice, Sehun would have refused immediately. Now, though, he has nowhere to go, no option that would ensure him another place to call home. He takes the knife.  
  
And he fails.  
  
He gets close to the lady, gets up behind her...and backs out. “She’s just an old woman, she hasn’t done anything wrong,” he pleads after running back to where the others were waiting. “We don’t need to take from her.”  
  
Yongguk laughs incredulously. “We’re out here in the cold, we live in an abandoned building and have no money. You think that people walking around with fat wallets don’t owe us anything?” he spits. “If you’d asked that woman for money nicely, she would have ignored you or even cursed you out.” He steps closer to Sehun, a sudden dark look in his eyes. “Listen to me, Sehun. Those people don’t care about people like us. They always want something back.”  
  
If Sehun hadn’t been in such a tough spot, he would have disagreed. He used to believe in the kindness of people. But after being cast away and ignored by people who should have supported him, Yongguk’s words don’t seem so strange. He nods solemnly.  
  
Yongguk places a hand on his shoulder. “Now, I’ll give you one more chance because I think you have potential. Tomorrow night you’d better have something, or we can’t let you stay with us. It’s our rule. Do you think you can do that?”  
  
“Yes,” Sehun mumbles. He needs this. “I’ll do my best.”  
  
Yongguk smiles. “That’s what I’m talking about.”  
  
  
  
  
  
Junmyeon doesn’t know exactly what woke him up, but when he opens his eyes Sehun is standing over him, hands in midair clutching Junmyeon’s blanket as if he was about to cover Junmyeon with it. He looks like a deer caught in the headlights. “Uh,” Sehun says. “It had fallen off the sofa and you looked cold. So I just wanted to cover you up until you woke up. Sorry I woke you.”  
  
“No problem, I might as well be awake,” Junmyeon says blearily as he sits up, stopping to yawn. His limbs feel stiff from the couch, but it’s not much to complain about. He glances at his watch, then at Sehun. “What are _you_ doing up so early? You should be resting.”  
  
“Habit.” Sehun drops the blanket next to Junmyeon. “I’ve always gotten up early.”  
  
“You really do need to rest,” Junmyeon points out as he rubs his eyes. “You have bad bruises all over, bruised ribs and a cold to top it off. I don’t understand what motivated you to leave bed at all.”  
  
The guy scratches his neck, hesitant. “Actually, I...thought I should get out. I’ve troubled you more than enough. I’m used to handling injuries, so it’s okay.”  
  
“You’re leaving already?” Junmyeon is not so surprised, but he is not sure he should let Sehun go yet. Sure, he looks fine enough now, able to stand up and walk, but it doesn’t mean he’s fully healed. His injuries need more than one night to get better, and who’s to say he won’t end up in another pinch? He looks up at Sehun with an unaffected look in his eyes, hiding that he truly is a little worried. “That’s unnecessary. I have the entire day off, no plans and am not expecting anyone. You should stay here so I can watch you and make sure you heal properly. There’s no catch, other than keeping me company for a few days.”  
  
Sehun looks taken aback, confused. Like he can’t imagine anyone being so eager to keep him there. “But-”  
  
“Listen,” Junmyeon interjects, “it’s either this or the hospital. You’ll be more free here than there. Either way you’re not going anywhere alone yet. Now, I’m going to make breakfast. What do you say?” He still wants to give Sehun the choice, but he hopes that he chooses to stay, for his own sake.  
  
It’s quiet for a few moments, Sehun chewing thoughtfully on his lip. He’s still wary, Junmyeon thinks, deciding whether Junmyeon can be trusted. Then, softly, “I like ramyeon.”  
  
Relieved, Junmyeon stands. “Ramyeon it is.”  
  
As they eat, he curiously watches Sehun, the dark purple bruises on his face. “Your face was already bruised when those guys beat you up yesterday,” he remarks, remembering what he had seen then, before the people arrived. “What happened?”  
  
Sehun stops moving with the chopsticks still in his mouth. He slowly removes them, mumbling, “I borrowed some money from some people a while back to pay the rent. When I couldn’t pay back the minute they wanted it, they...got mad.”  
  
“Oh.”  
  
He stares into his bowl, stirring the noodles with the chopsticks. “It’s...I’m used to it. It’s been like this for a while. Various things I had to handle. Now I’m not sure if it was worth it, if I don’t have my home anymore.”  
  
“You can stay here for a while. Until you heal, and can get back on your feet.” The words leave his mouth unprepared, and Junmyeon is surprised by how willing he is to let this stranger live in his home. Still, he knows he means it, and he doesn’t think Sehun will be much of a bother from what he knows about him so far.  
  
“Are you...sure?” It’s a little sad to see the other so careful, like he’s torn between hopefulness and hopelessness and Junmyeon might take back his offer in this very moment. All Junmyeon can do is prove his certainty.  
  
“I wouldn’t have offered it if I didn’t mean it. You’re not leaving until you’re fully healed, at the least. After that I won’t force you to do anything, but I hope you will go somewhere that’s for your own best.”  
  
Sehun thinks for some time, but eventually replies, “Okay.”  
  
Over the next few days he finally starts to show a smile, his careful and insecure demeanor slowly melting away. When Junmyeon goes to work, Sehun rests in his bed, reading or even cleaning the apartment when he gets more familiar with it. Junmyeon tells Sehun about work, and Sehun tells Junmyeon about his past, how he got where he was. Junmyeon grows used to his presence, kind and quiet, yet bringing some color into his life.  
  
It’s been almost a week later when they bring up the robbery.  
  
“Where is it?” Junmyeon mumbles to himself, scratching his head.  
  
“Where’s what?” Sehun asks curiously, walking into the living room.  
  
“I have this picture of my friend and I in New York. It’s a memory I really treasure, so I put it- oh.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“I put it in my wallet,” Junmyeon says, hands dropping to his sides in defeat.  
  
Sehun’s eyes widen slightly. “The wallet that I...stole from you?”  
  
“That’s the one. That guy took it, right?”  
  
“Yes,” Sehun says, avoiding Junmyeon’s gaze. “I’m really sorry you lost that.”  
  
All Junmyeon can do is smile. “Don’t worry. It’s not that big of a deal.”  
  
And then it’s settled, he thinks.  
  
But when he comes home from work the next day Sehun is nowhere to be found.  
  
He looks in every room, wondering if something has happened. There’s no reason to worry, he tells himself. Sehun is probably just out for fresh air somewhere. He’s been holed up inside for many days, after all.  
  
Junmyeon doesn’t know how many hours he has spent idly staring at the television, not registering anything, when he hears the door open. He springs to his feet and hurries to the hallway.  
  
And there Sehun is, toeing his shoes off. There is a fresh bruise forming around his eye, Junmyeon sees when he looks up in surprise. “Hi,” Sehun says quietly. “I meant to be back before you got home, but I- got held up.”  
  
“Where have you been?” Junmyeon asks, and he doesn’t mean to sound like a stern teacher, mother, but he can’t hide that he was worried.  
  
Strangely enough, Sehun’s lips stretch into a small, proud smile. He reaches into the pocket of his jacket and pulls something out.  
  
“My wallet.” Junmyeon gapes, and accepts when Sehun offers it. The money are missing, but the pictures, his precious pictures, are still in there. He looks up at Sehun. “You went back for it.”  
  
Sehun nods. “I just wanted to give back what I took. It’s the least I could do.”  
  
“And you got yourself hurt again. You’re an idiot,” Junmyeon says, without any bite, and Sehun flushes lightly, but the smile is still there, and Junmyeon can’t help but smile too. He touches Sehun’s arm gently. “Thank you. Really.”  
  
For Sehun to have faced the people who hurt him so badly last time and getting himself hurt even more, just to get Junmyeon’s wallet back, means so much. It means he’s thankful. It means he cares.  
  
It makes Junmyeon’s heart flutter just a little, but he ignores it for now.  
  
“Come in, I’ll get you an ice pack for that bruise.”


End file.
